Elizabeth "Dizzy Lizzy" C.'s Profile
Date
4501 Fountain Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 661-1955
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 661-1955
Boo's Philly Cheesesteaks and Hoagies
Categories:
Cheesesteaks,
Sandwiches
Neighborhood: Hollywood
1107 S Glendale Ave
Glendale, CA 91205
(818) 246-7254
Glendale, CA 91205
(818) 246-7254
Brian Cho, DDS
Category:
General Dentistry
Neighborhood: Glendale
I almost don't want too many more people to discover the gem that is Dr. Cho.
For the last few years, I hadn't been able to go to the dentist and coasted by on the fact that I had great teeth and even better dental hygiene habits. Alas. Three years was asking too much for even the best maintained teeth. My gums were constantly tender and had begun to bleed. Thankfully - yes, thank you, Yelpers! - I found all the rave reviews about Dr. Cho and also noted that it wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg to get my teeth cleaned.
Nonetheless, I was still fully prepared to fork over several Benjamins (since I don't have dental insurance) for what I'd anticipated would be at least a couple hours of drilling and chiseling before we eve got around to polishing any pearly whites. Yet, nonesuch! Dr. Cho himself (read: not a hygienist) did the cleaning in under 45 painless minutes. Probably closer to 30 minutes. Moreover, while I'm someone who's generally very comfortable at the dentist's, I nearly fell asleep during the cleaning, which is utterly shocking given that he managed to remove all the nasty build-up AND three-years of egregious coffee stains! Truly remarkable!
As for the cost: a full set of x-rays (digital) and cleaning by Dr. Cho himself came to well under $100. Woot!
Then, since both Dr. Cho and I knew that some of my periodontal pain was due to my severe teeth-grinding, I asked for an estimate for a night guard. $350 for the nicest night guard I've ever used. So, I returned on another day for the night guard fitting, a procedure that went very smoothly. Now, my gums no longer hurt. I no longer wake up having bitten my tongue during the night. I think I have fewer headaches too. Huzzah!
The receptionist - though her Korean accent is thick - refuses to speak Korean to me. She's quirky but gets her job done. And if she helps Dr. Cho be as wonderful as he is, that's fine by me.
I can't wait to go back for my next cleaning!!! Thank you, Dr. Cho, for letting me experience my smooth pearly whites again!
For the last few years, I hadn't been able to go to the dentist and coasted by on the fact that I had great teeth and even better dental hygiene habits. Alas. Three years was asking too much for even the best maintained teeth. My gums were constantly tender and had begun to bleed. Thankfully - yes, thank you, Yelpers! - I found all the rave reviews about Dr. Cho and also noted that it wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg to get my teeth cleaned.
Nonetheless, I was still fully prepared to fork over several Benjamins (since I don't have dental insurance) for what I'd anticipated would be at least a couple hours of drilling and chiseling before we eve got around to polishing any pearly whites. Yet, nonesuch! Dr. Cho himself (read: not a hygienist) did the cleaning in under 45 painless minutes. Probably closer to 30 minutes. Moreover, while I'm someone who's generally very comfortable at the dentist's, I nearly fell asleep during the cleaning, which is utterly shocking given that he managed to remove all the nasty build-up AND three-years of egregious coffee stains! Truly remarkable!
As for the cost: a full set of x-rays (digital) and cleaning by Dr. Cho himself came to well under $100. Woot!
Then, since both Dr. Cho and I knew that some of my periodontal pain was due to my severe teeth-grinding, I asked for an estimate for a night guard. $350 for the nicest night guard I've ever used. So, I returned on another day for the night guard fitting, a procedure that went very smoothly. Now, my gums no longer hurt. I no longer wake up having bitten my tongue during the night. I think I have fewer headaches too. Huzzah!
The receptionist - though her Korean accent is thick - refuses to speak Korean to me. She's quirky but gets her job done. And if she helps Dr. Cho be as wonderful as he is, that's fine by me.
I can't wait to go back for my next cleaning!!! Thank you, Dr. Cho, for letting me experience my smooth pearly whites again!
2730 Hyperion Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 661-4356
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 661-4356
Hyperion Cleaners
Category:
Dry Cleaning & Laundry
Neighborhood: Silver Lake
In keeping with the zeitgeist, I decided to be more frugal and attempted to launder my dryclean-only items with Drycleaner's Secret, one of those at-home "drycleaning" kits. Now, these kits are indeed fabulous, not just in theory but in practice. That is, for people who I imagine are far more fastidious than I could ever be with regularity, even if my life depended on it. Though I've used these kits in the past without any mishap, unfortunately this time, I experienced firsthand what it means to be penny-wise and pound-foolish.
Let's just say that I spent nearly an hour with half my body contorted inside the dryer to scrub every single millimeter free of melted gobs of an entire tube of very, very, veeeeeeeery red lipstick. For once, I thanked my official midget height and uttered curses at my ardent love of red lipstick.
But praise be to Hyperion Cleaners! I sing paeans to their excellence! To their very existence. Were it not for them, I'd be out not only $58.95 in drycleaning + $1.00 in "drycleaning" but in fact the sum I shudder to imagine that would be necessary to replace prized wardrobe staples. (And frankly, I was completely, pleasantly surprised by the price tag. I had anticipated a far more painful figure to be appropriate to the task since each garment required repeated individual laundering.)
Hyperion Cleaners managed to remove scarlet smeared into or streaked all over - and I mean all over, so much so that the good folks at Hyperion were utterly stunned and even daunted by the prospect of having to restore - garments of widely varying fabrics and textures, such as a fine cashmere pashmina, a rayon multi-color graphic skirt, a suit jacket, a velvet jacket, a silk shirt, wool trousers, etc.
Though daunted they were, they did it! They came to the rescue! Now, were it not for a missing tube of lipstick and this review, none but I, the good folks at Hyperion, and you will ever know the #*&(*)^#!@#) I swore at my penny-wise, pound-foolish scatterbraininess.
I heart you, Hyperion Cleaners. My clothes thank you for saving them from me.
Let's just say that I spent nearly an hour with half my body contorted inside the dryer to scrub every single millimeter free of melted gobs of an entire tube of very, very, veeeeeeeery red lipstick. For once, I thanked my official midget height and uttered curses at my ardent love of red lipstick.
But praise be to Hyperion Cleaners! I sing paeans to their excellence! To their very existence. Were it not for them, I'd be out not only $58.95 in drycleaning + $1.00 in "drycleaning" but in fact the sum I shudder to imagine that would be necessary to replace prized wardrobe staples. (And frankly, I was completely, pleasantly surprised by the price tag. I had anticipated a far more painful figure to be appropriate to the task since each garment required repeated individual laundering.)
Hyperion Cleaners managed to remove scarlet smeared into or streaked all over - and I mean all over, so much so that the good folks at Hyperion were utterly stunned and even daunted by the prospect of having to restore - garments of widely varying fabrics and textures, such as a fine cashmere pashmina, a rayon multi-color graphic skirt, a suit jacket, a velvet jacket, a silk shirt, wool trousers, etc.
Though daunted they were, they did it! They came to the rescue! Now, were it not for a missing tube of lipstick and this review, none but I, the good folks at Hyperion, and you will ever know the #*&(*)^#!@#) I swore at my penny-wise, pound-foolish scatterbraininess.
I heart you, Hyperion Cleaners. My clothes thank you for saving them from me.
Listed in: So In Love With Silverlake
2 Previous Reviews:
-
5/31/2009
Recently, Hyperion Cleaners expanded their hours of operation to include even Sunday. Blasphemous!! A drycleaning establishment open on Sunday? A presumably church-going Korean mom and pop establishment at that? Well, it turns out the expanded hours have been made possible by employing non-relations, a development that leaves me with mixed feelings - happy for them that they've gotten big enough to need outside help but also somewhat ambivalent that it's no longer just me and the fam.
That ambivalence was further reinforced when I went to pick up the twelve pieces I had last left. One was missing, and the clerk was not quite up to speed. Let's just say it was a less than satisfactory experience. I made sure to return when I thought the fam would be there AND to speak in our native tongue, i.e., "You and I, we are fam. You must take care of me. You must not lose my favorite pair of trousers!!" I left a sketch and a description of the missing item. A week later, they called to say they'd found it.
The best part of all this? When I went in to retrieve the trousers, the owner recognized me and produced the pants as I walked through the door, even before I had the opportunity to state my business. Nice. -
4/23/2009
I can't believe this is a Korean-owned business. As a Korean whose father once dabbled disastrously in drycleaning, I am very impressed with Hyperion Cleaners' level of professionalism, courteousness, and business savvy. I started using them because their cleaning methods were non-toxic, in fact the least toxic (consequently, the most expensive) of the green methods available (though I forget now what that specific method is). It's great to bring home clean clothes that don't smell like an 80s girls' high school bathroom full of Aqua Net fumes. I also dig that they alert you with big signage whenever they failed to remove any stains, stains that they didn't know that they couldn't possibly remove because the stains were old and baked in. Overall, I appreciate how easy it is to entrust them with my garments that won't let me get away with cheapskate shortcuts.
But, yes, I do wish that Hyperion were more affordable. Or at least give me the Korean discount that I'd have gotten in all other parts of the US but SoCal. Scratch that, I've gotten the Korean discount at other SoCal drycleaners. Perhaps a part of Hyperion's professionalism means refraining from nepotism and not taking care of their Korean sisters.
Trying to go green is making me green with envy at greener grass enjoyed by those who don't give a hoot about being green.
While I am no longer a 24 Hr Fitness member, I enjoyed working out here for s**ts and giggles. Of course, there were functional aspects I enjoyed: decent array of cardio machines (especially if you could snag an elliptical with an unblocked view of the TV screens), two floors of weight machines, an often empty dance studio, etc. But really, I found great entertainment in the wanna-be bodybuilders who'd let their weights clank down with each rep and who'd grunt loudly enough to give the Williams sisters some competition. Really, it's a modern day circus. One day, a bleached blonde chick with a hot pink and black get-up paraded around the gym as if she believed, for sure, that some soft-porn director was conducting a casting call and would discover her seriously overbuilt - yes, I do mean constructed - rack busting atop the low-cut tank of her part hot pant, part tennis skirt, and part peekaboo babydoll get-up with matching hot pink and black sneakers and square cap. It was fascinating, incredibly amusing. I felt a bit like a cultural anthropologist engaged in some participant-observer ethnographic research. I returned time and again hoping for a sequel, but no such luck. Perhaps you might have more luck, were you to join 24 Hr Fitness?
If you actually care about your well-being, steer clear of this 24 Hr Fitness. Nevermind that it's run-down, it's likely to give you septic shock. And this increased danger to your health has everything to do with this 24 Hr being in Koreatown. Koreans - I mean hard-core Koreans who believe it's preferable to toss used toilet paper into open trash cans than to update antiquated plumbing - and their sanitation practices make this Virgoan shudder in revulsion. So much so that it curbs any desire I have for returning to my motherland. Hey, I'm proudly Korean, but that doesn't mean I have to be rosy about all things Korean.
When a friend told a member of the staff that the sauna smelled funky, like wet, dirty socks, all my friend got was a shrug. Ugh. I refused to return. My friend, however, was willing to give them another try. He told me he went back there quite a while later. Guess what? Same stinky sock smell in the sauna. Ugh! Can you imagine the overgrowth of nasty fungi that'd be ready to invade any breaches in your skin's integrity? Shudder.
When a friend told a member of the staff that the sauna smelled funky, like wet, dirty socks, all my friend got was a shrug. Ugh. I refused to return. My friend, however, was willing to give them another try. He told me he went back there quite a while later. Guess what? Same stinky sock smell in the sauna. Ugh! Can you imagine the overgrowth of nasty fungi that'd be ready to invade any breaches in your skin's integrity? Shudder.
2900 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 661-8391
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 661-8391
Café Tropical
Categories:
Bakeries,
Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Silver Lake
A lot of people love this place. A lot of people rave about its coffee. A lot of people rave even more so about the pastries.
Trying to be fair, I sampled the coffee. Couldn't believe I was paying a ridiculous sum for hot, scalding blech in a paper cup with inadequate cup holder thingee. For just a dollar more, I thought to myself, I could have liquid heroine at Intelligentsia.
Trying to be fair, believing perhaps Cafe Tropical might have had an off day, I gave it another go. This time, I kicked myself for second-guessing my judgment. Yet, I am willing to leave open the possibility that some people may really find this coffee to be the bomb. To each his/her own.
But then one day, the entire space smelled like a funky Seoul restroom. Yes, that was funky Seoul, not funky soul. Those who've been to Seoul might know what I mean. Those who haven't been to Seoul ought to be glad to have been spared.
I am more than glad to leave Cafe Tropical to those who find it lovable.
Trying to be fair, I sampled the coffee. Couldn't believe I was paying a ridiculous sum for hot, scalding blech in a paper cup with inadequate cup holder thingee. For just a dollar more, I thought to myself, I could have liquid heroine at Intelligentsia.
Trying to be fair, believing perhaps Cafe Tropical might have had an off day, I gave it another go. This time, I kicked myself for second-guessing my judgment. Yet, I am willing to leave open the possibility that some people may really find this coffee to be the bomb. To each his/her own.
But then one day, the entire space smelled like a funky Seoul restroom. Yes, that was funky Seoul, not funky soul. Those who've been to Seoul might know what I mean. Those who haven't been to Seoul ought to be glad to have been spared.
I am more than glad to leave Cafe Tropical to those who find it lovable.
I hate to write negative reviews. Really. As I scrolled over the stars and noted Yelp's translation of the stars into plain English, I hoped, hoped, hoped that somehow I could justify giving this place more than one star. But apparently the experience was negative enough that when I bookmarked this establishment, I even took the trouble to note: "pad thai - eck. penang curry beef - tough, chewy beef." The service staff was nice. I'm sure the owner and manager are decent folks. I'm so sorry that the food was not so decent. Heck, I've definitely had worse pad thai (not much worse but yes, worse), so I'll raise this to two stars. I feel bad for Natalee.
205 S 13th St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 545-8511
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 545-8511
Pastoral Korean Restaurant - CLOSED
Category:
Korean
Neighborhood: Washington Square West
It's been a little while since I was a regular at Pastoral (which I used as Korean Food 101 for my non-Korean friends). It's a hole-in-the-wall, mom-and-pop kind of place. A no-frills, reliable stand-by. My friends especially liked the middle-aged/old Korean men who'd plop down with copies of Korean newspapers while they awaited their dishes. It was my comfort food Korean. Jim H., another reviewer, mentioned how the BBQ (bulgogi) he'd ordered was unlike any Korean BBQ he'd had before. No disrespect to Jim H., but that says more about his experience with Korean food. Bulgogi can be served a number of different ways. Most Western diners (meaning those whose familiarity with Korean food is based on restaurant fare) know only of the flat, grilled bulgogi. However, those more famliar with bulgogi know that there's a bulgogi that's made in a pan, one that is steeped in the (dal-kom-han [for the Koreans here]) juices of the marinade. It's the form of bulgogi that's more commonly served in Korean homes. Pastoral does a solid job with this sort of bulgogi, which is why again I say it's a mom-and-pop establishment. So, if on a cold, blustery Philly night you want some Korean comfort food and warm barley tea (boricha), take refuge at Pastoral.
Listed in: Philly Love
1260 S Brand Blvd
Glendale, CA 91204
(888) 594-9175
Glendale, CA 91204
(888) 594-9175
Toyota of Glendale
Categories:
Car Dealers,
Auto Repair,
Auto Parts & Supplies
Neighborhood: Glendale
I wish I could give separate reviews for various aspects of this Toyota dealership, primarily because I wish I could save Paul Flores from being dragged down by his terrible associates.
I will echo BrailPo P.'s sentiment that Paul Flores is A GEM!!! My dad used to be an auto mechanic but, even if he were not retired, I'd entrust my car to Paul rather than daddy, which is saying a lot since my dad was an awesome mechanic. Now why would I go to Paul over daddy who'd take care of my Toyota as if it were his first-born grandchild (or scion, gaffaw! gaffaw! gaffaw!)?
1. Paul's professionalism is simply astounding. If I were the President of the United States, I'd place Paul immediately outside the Oval Office. He is super respectful and polite. Super discreet! A rare breed!
2. Paul is genuinely concerned about rectifying whatever problem your car is experiencing. And will go to great lengths to ensure the solution is cost effective and the experience very smooth. In that respect, I'll abandon the POTUS metaphor in favor of Meryl Streep's Miranda Priestly, from Devil Wears Prada. Even this boss from hell would have given Paul her gruff but unequivocable thumbs up. When I took in my 3-year-old Toyota because the after manufacturer alarm was wonky, Paul chased down the details on my supplemental service insurance and negotiated the repair costs to minimize my out-of-pocket costs, and then provided nitty-gritty instructions so that I could avoid a repeat of the same alarm problem. As for the smooth process, it consisted of me providing copies of my paperwork and authorizing the service when Paul called with a very thorough breakdown of service needed, costs associated/covered by insurance/out of-pocket, and estimated time required for service. And all was executed exactly as described at the outset. Flawlessly. See why I say MIranda Priestly would have approved?
On the other hand, Miranda Priestly would have snarled as she tarred and feathered (like the marriage of grease and sartorial metaphor?) Henry, another service manager. Henry was dismissive, patronizing, and incompetent. Not only had he forgotten entirely to address the fact that my dome lights had gone out, but he forgot something as simple as putting my name down on the list for the courtesy van despite numerous reminders, thus leaving me stranded for hours. While I was annoyed to find he'd forgotten to have the dome light fixed, I was somewhat glad because I now suspect that he would have botched the job.
Now that my car is making grinding noises, I don't know what to do. Do I try to hold out for Paul? Or do I just avoid Toyota of Glendale service department altogether? What would Miranda Priestly do?
I will echo BrailPo P.'s sentiment that Paul Flores is A GEM!!! My dad used to be an auto mechanic but, even if he were not retired, I'd entrust my car to Paul rather than daddy, which is saying a lot since my dad was an awesome mechanic. Now why would I go to Paul over daddy who'd take care of my Toyota as if it were his first-born grandchild (or scion, gaffaw! gaffaw! gaffaw!)?
1. Paul's professionalism is simply astounding. If I were the President of the United States, I'd place Paul immediately outside the Oval Office. He is super respectful and polite. Super discreet! A rare breed!
2. Paul is genuinely concerned about rectifying whatever problem your car is experiencing. And will go to great lengths to ensure the solution is cost effective and the experience very smooth. In that respect, I'll abandon the POTUS metaphor in favor of Meryl Streep's Miranda Priestly, from Devil Wears Prada. Even this boss from hell would have given Paul her gruff but unequivocable thumbs up. When I took in my 3-year-old Toyota because the after manufacturer alarm was wonky, Paul chased down the details on my supplemental service insurance and negotiated the repair costs to minimize my out-of-pocket costs, and then provided nitty-gritty instructions so that I could avoid a repeat of the same alarm problem. As for the smooth process, it consisted of me providing copies of my paperwork and authorizing the service when Paul called with a very thorough breakdown of service needed, costs associated/covered by insurance/out of-pocket, and estimated time required for service. And all was executed exactly as described at the outset. Flawlessly. See why I say MIranda Priestly would have approved?
On the other hand, Miranda Priestly would have snarled as she tarred and feathered (like the marriage of grease and sartorial metaphor?) Henry, another service manager. Henry was dismissive, patronizing, and incompetent. Not only had he forgotten entirely to address the fact that my dome lights had gone out, but he forgot something as simple as putting my name down on the list for the courtesy van despite numerous reminders, thus leaving me stranded for hours. While I was annoyed to find he'd forgotten to have the dome light fixed, I was somewhat glad because I now suspect that he would have botched the job.
Now that my car is making grinding noises, I don't know what to do. Do I try to hold out for Paul? Or do I just avoid Toyota of Glendale service department altogether? What would Miranda Priestly do?
Everyone experiences every so often that magical, sublime moment befitting dramatization in some precious, intimate foreign film with grand, universal themes. Well, restaurateur Gareth Kantner may be much pleased to learn that I had such an experience at his establishment, the very air of which is suffused with an appropriately French haughty charm. But I must introduce you to someone - a pivotal character in this little drama - in order for you to appreciate fully this experience.
I have a rather dear friend who is Swiss-French. He is crazy. A self-professed curmudgeon who's nonetheless absolutely charming because he reminds you of a seven-year old boy grinning broadly with breezy insouciance, much self-satisfied with his latest innocent mischief. And he is a true European, maybe even a true Frenchman despite his protestations, for he is quite the chauvinist - Vive l'exception française! - about women, food, and wine. His beloved wife regularly discovers cork and wrappers for stinky cheeses, telltale signs of his preferred diet of wine and cheese, strewn beneath their bed. This friend has been sad of late, however, because his friends have been leaving one by one for other parts of the world.
So to which culinary gem did I take them when they visited me in Los Angeles? Red Lion für bier und bratwurst to appeal to the German Swiss in my friend or Cafe Stella pour vin et fromage to give my dear friend some semblance of being amidst lifelong friends again?
I was glad to have chosen the latter, for my friend was in top form. His spirit was much buoyed as he sniffed and proclaimed "Excellent!" the last remaining bottles of his choice.
To top it off, while it's been months now since I last smoked, I had the pleasure of indulging in a Gauloises along with the "Excellent!" wine in the inestimably marvelous company of my friends at Cafe Stella's bar, courtesy of Gareth who keeps a lovely little stash behind the bar. Needless to say, the service was impeccable.
A magical night of being drunk on happiness and friendship. The kind everyone wishes they could have as they head out each time.
I have a rather dear friend who is Swiss-French. He is crazy. A self-professed curmudgeon who's nonetheless absolutely charming because he reminds you of a seven-year old boy grinning broadly with breezy insouciance, much self-satisfied with his latest innocent mischief. And he is a true European, maybe even a true Frenchman despite his protestations, for he is quite the chauvinist - Vive l'exception française! - about women, food, and wine. His beloved wife regularly discovers cork and wrappers for stinky cheeses, telltale signs of his preferred diet of wine and cheese, strewn beneath their bed. This friend has been sad of late, however, because his friends have been leaving one by one for other parts of the world.
So to which culinary gem did I take them when they visited me in Los Angeles? Red Lion für bier und bratwurst to appeal to the German Swiss in my friend or Cafe Stella pour vin et fromage to give my dear friend some semblance of being amidst lifelong friends again?
I was glad to have chosen the latter, for my friend was in top form. His spirit was much buoyed as he sniffed and proclaimed "Excellent!" the last remaining bottles of his choice.
To top it off, while it's been months now since I last smoked, I had the pleasure of indulging in a Gauloises along with the "Excellent!" wine in the inestimably marvelous company of my friends at Cafe Stella's bar, courtesy of Gareth who keeps a lovely little stash behind the bar. Needless to say, the service was impeccable.
A magical night of being drunk on happiness and friendship. The kind everyone wishes they could have as they head out each time.
Listed in: So In Love With Silverlake
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Review votes:
195 Useful, 139 Funny, and 180 Cool
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Yelping SinceJuly 2007
Find Me InSilver Lake or in transit on one of the SoCal freeways
My HometownSeoul, Chicago, Philly
My Blog Or Website When I'm Not Yelping...I'm being a nerd
Why You Should Read My ReviewsThey may comprise the bulk of my productivity
My Second Favorite Websitehttp://del.icio.us, Facebook, Flickr, Going, www.Last.fm, LibraryThing, MySpace
The Last Great Book I ReadDisgrace by Coetzee
My First ConcertINXS 1988
My Favorite MovieThe Lover, My Sassy Girl, The Unbearable Lightness of Being
My Last Meal On EarthMy mom's cooking
Most Recent Discoveryflights of stairs throughout Silver Lake hills
Current Crush"smushes crushes," she says as she rushes
Then today, I smelled a familiar aroma wafting over the fence. For a moment I thought I was hallucinating from starvation, not having had eaten for more than 12 hours. Then, the aroma started to take shape. It was sauteed onions, mingling with the juice of that particular cut of beef, to yield the rich, mouth-watering aroma that I used to smell blocks away from Jim's on South Street. But that couldn't be! Jim's is thousands of miles away and the gruff, old African American head cook who chopped the beef slices into tender morsels while he barked at you to rattle off your order on queue has long retired. So,... the aroma was from Boo's? Really?
So I dashed over and declared that, since I didn't know how they wanted me to order, I'd order it the way I used to back in Philly. The Asian dude - yeah, talk about sensory disconnect. that must be the Angeleno part of Boo's - taking my order was game, and as he took down my order I saw him sporting an Amoroso's t-shirt. Smart. They should have advertised that AND Tastykakes. I would have been in there so much sooner.
What I ordered: mushroom steak with provolone (yeah, I never could do the whiz) and sauteed onions. I don't know what Nick S. is talking about but mushroom steak is totally legit. Folks back in Philly are passionately divided as to who's the better purveyor of cheesesteaks, but equal numbers of locals sneer at Geno's and Pat's as tourist traps and praise it as the authentic deal. I'm of the former camp. (Yeah, Kabir A., ditto.)
Anyhoo, my lunch? I honestly can't believe it. A bunch of Asian American boys from Philly are spreading Philly love right in my neighborhood. I'm holding off on 5 stars until I can confirm a repeat performance, but I'm pleased. Craig LaBan, the Philly Inquirer food critic who once undertook a summer-long survey of Philly's best cheesesteak joints, would be pleased.
One last note, Boo's sandwiches cost a heck of a lot more than their Philly counterparts. I thank Boo's for that because their pricing scheme will keep me from indulging in their 1000 calorie vice the way I used to of Jim's when an ex-beau lived a block from Jim's. Now, only if I can somehow get the Schuylkill River, Boat House Row, and Kelly Drive over to Silver Lake...